sunset from behind the wire

Monday, September 4, 2017

I haven't spent a lot of time in Wind River Country/Lander Wyoming area for a couple of decades. It's wild and beautiful country. Intelligence and SPECOPS people trained up there with mules, which were used extensively in the early days in Afghanistan before Big Army took over.

When I was a kid, we used to be up there some summers and I loved it. I also loved Star Valley, WY and still have friends who live there today.

The feature film, "Wind River" takes place in that same area. The cinematic work reminded me of the place and of the past, so there was a sentimental bent out of the gate.

I took some time out this weekend to see the film and I liked it. There were a few lines like, "there aren't any millionaires in Jackson Hole, the billionaires pushed them out." I recall Jackson Hole 50 years ago and today it's unrecognizable. One liners aside, I found the story interesting and the action as honest as you're going to find in a Hollywood production.

Cory Lambert is a Wyoming wildlife officer/game warden, who finds the body of an 18-year-old woman on an American Indian reservation in snowy Wyoming. Because it appears to be a murder, the tribal police are obliged to call the FBI. Jane Banner, an inexperienced FBI special agent arrives to run the investigation and they learn that the victim was raped at the postmortem. Teaming up with Lambert as a guide, the duo soon find that their lives are in danger while trying to solve the mystery of the teen's death.

Art is a matter of personal preferences, but I recommend the movie as entertaining. I didn't look at my wristwatch once while viewing the film.

Last week the Sacramento, CA, City Council voted unanimously to pay 50 gang members $1.5 million to not kill people.

There was a time when that sort of thing was called "danegeld" and cities in Britain and Europe paid it but the Vikings still came. The Romans tried to pay off the Vandals and Visigoths, but that didn't work either. In more recent years it has been called a protection racket. Historically doing this ended badly.

I didn't see any indication that the Sacramento City Council has read history. But why would progressive people do that?

Sacramento, CA – The city of Sacramento is setting aside $1.5 million dollars of taxpayers money to pay gang members to stop killing people.

The city council unanimously approved the “Advance Peace” program in an attempt to address their ongoing problem with violent crime, according to Fox News.

The program pays gang members to graduate school and stop shooting at people. If a gang member wants to start killing people, they’ll be forfeiting their taxpayer-funded payday.

The vote had been scheduled to take place in two weeks, but Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg requested that the vote be moved up after five people were shot in a park.

“Five people were shot in Meadowview on Sunday,” Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said, according to Fox 40. “Let’s get going on doing everything we can to save innocent lives.”

The funding for the payments to the criminal gang members will come from the city’s general fund. The money will go to 50 men who are suspected of killing people, but there’s not enough evidence to prosecute them.

The Advance Peace Program - No, you can't make this stuff up.

“Fifty is a huge number. That’s 50 shooters who have the possibility of taking a life,” Nicole Clavo said according to KCRA. “If we can reach those 50, how many lives have we changed?”

The Advance Peace program started in Richmond, CA and has been credited by some with reducing murders in the city; Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert disagrees.

“I support the gang prevention task force and the many evidence-based youth mentoring and intervention programs already in existence in the city of Sacramento. I have serious concerns with a program that is apparently based upon the payment of money to high-risk individuals in exchange for a promise not to engage in violent criminal conduct. There is insufficient evidence-based data to show this approach is effective in preventing gun violence.”

Housekeeping

As of January 1, 2017 this blog began to receive anonymous posts. I try not to delete them, but if you want to be taken seriously here, you need to identify yourself, if only by some sort of cryptonym.

Welcome to Virtual Mirage

"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.

"Oh, you can't help that," said the cat. "We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad."

"How do you know I'm mad," asked Alice?

"You must be," said the cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."

Good Morning

Virtual Mirage - What's on the other side of the mirror? Ask Alice how deep the rabbit hole really goes.

This blog is an extension of MY JOURNEY because sometimes my journey needs more explanation, and sometimes there is more to be said than can be expressed on one ordinary blog.

Sometimes it's politics (very serious), sometimes I address the human condition with a dose of humor, and other times it may seem as if the track is headed in a unique direction. I can be a complicated guy at times.

There are a few things you'll find I consider:

* Absence of proof is not proof of absence.

* Sometimes the questions are complex but the answers are simple.

* Love is the only condition where the happiness of another person is essential to your own.

* Steers do not sign treaties with meat packers. (think on that)

* Taxes are NEVER levied for the benefit of the taxed.

* The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no victory possible in defense.

WHITE POWDER (Novel)

There is something intoxicating about a secret.

THE OLD WHORE (NOVEL)

In the peculiar culture of the Central Intelligence Agency, "old whores" are people who will do whatever it takes to get the job done, irrespective of the cost.

EXILES FROM EDEN (NOVEL)

Sparks fly as two star-crossed lovers meet. He runs toward trouble as she yearns for something missing. And it ends in a flight from and toward justice.

About Me

Today, I balance work and play as much as anyone can. All things remaining equal, play is more important. Life is short - it's important to make every day count for something, if only to yourself.
I'm a former tinker/tailor/soldier/sailor who has now decided that maybe it really wasn't all done for nothing.

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